So, you have taken the bar exam, went on a fabulous bar trip and are set to start work at a large firm. All is well except for one thing…law school didn’t really teach you how to practice law. That is okay, you are in the same shoes as everyone else. Having been the first person in my family to attend law school, let alone work in BigLaw, I felt like a fish out of water on my first day at the firm. Thankfully, you will not be expected to arrive as an expert in securities law, M&A, or real estate finance. To help ease any nerves you may be feeling and hopefully give you a leg up, I will share some of the common mistakes junior associates make when first starting out.
Forgetting to release time: Firms make their money by billing their attorneys’ time to clients. For the most part, attorneys bill in .6 increments. To enter and bill your time, you will likely use an app called inTapp. There are various ways to keep track of your time. Some use pencil and paper, others enjoy the timer feature on inTapp. I do my best to enter and release my time on the same day. Because this system is likely unfamiliar to junior associates, timekeeping can easily slip. Partners often provide fee updates to clients. Surprising your partner with forty hours that you forgot to bill last month will not be pleasant for anyone.
Misunderstanding the urgency of an assignment: Proper time management is key to getting enough rest and keeping stress levels down as an associate. If you are not sure about when an assignment is due, ask. Assuming that the seniority of the assigning attorney correlates with a task’s urgency is a mistake. A task for a partner is not always more urgent than one for an associate.
Forgetting to version up: This advice may apply best to corporate associates. When in doubt, “version up.” Versioning up just refers to adding another layer to the document to separate one set of comments from another. This sounds simple but is easy to miss when comments are flurrying in from parties at all hours. Version control is essential for running redlines or comparison documents.
Drinking too much: Especially in BigLaw, alcohol is flowing everywhere. Depending on the length of a work event, I would have one, maybe two drinks. This is true even when those around you are more indulgent. Don’t be the next day’s office gossip. In my opinion, it is better to leave a work party too early than too late.
Fear of asking questions: When you are not sure about something, at first, try to figure it out by going through emails or precedent documents from prior deals. If you still do not understand an assigned task, ask the assigning attorney or the associate directly senior to you. Consolidate your questions in a singular, polite email. I know asking questions is sometimes intimidating but it is better than spinning your wheels and not having the assignment completed when your team needs it.
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